When the sonic boom from low flying jets shattered windows in Istanbul early on the morning of July 16, a city jumped out of its skin. The first reaction was stunned disbelief that, 36 years after the Turkish military last seized power from an elected government, anyone might try again. This time not all the military joined in the coup, and the police remained loyal. But it was popular anger which forced the putschists to retreat.
In the days that followed, the government tried to orchestrate an upbeat mood. Fares were lifted on public transport to encourage people to go out and about, but also to attend nightly rallies to denounce the coup. But the realization was just around the corner that a reckoning would ensue.
